A border patrol agent in Tuscon, Arizona condemned the federal government for ignoring and not prosecuting illegal immigrants and protesters who violate federal laws by impeding or assaulting agents while they are on the job, saying the federal government’s lack of enforcement was “shameful” and a “running joke” that encourages more lawlessness.

Last week, dozens of protesters in Arizona impeded officers from detaining “three suspected illegal immigrants,” and the agents used pepper spray to control the “raucous” protesters.

“Another truly despicable example of agents being handcuffed, having to fear doing our jobs and having nobody standing in the gap to help protect us from the illegal alien cheerleaders and the anarchists,” the border patrol agent from Local 2544 wrote. “Shameful.”

The agent continued by writing that “since these ‘protesters’ can be easily identified, charges should be filed on them as soon as possible.”

In reference to the incident in Arizona, the agent asked, “When dozens of ‘protesters’ impede, resist and otherwise interfere with Border Patrol agents and the carrying out of our duties, what happens?”

“And does that encourage further lawlessness and put us in a bad position as we try to do our job? Absolutely. It emboldens these types of people and puts us in danger. Impeding law enforcement should be a serious no-no. Protest some other way, but not by interfering with an active enforcement operation and creating a dangerous atmosphere where someone could be badly injured or killed. Why weren’t these people arrested and charged?”

The border patrol agent cites 18 USC 111, which states that whoever “forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates, or interferes” with an agent “while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties” can be fined and imprisoned for up to a year. If there is “physical contact with the victim of that assault or the intent to commit another felony,” the perpetrator can be fined and imprisoned for up to eight years.

“Apparently 18 USC 111 still only applies if an agent sustains serious injuries. How many times has the AUSA asked ‘How badly is the agent injured?’ when presented with a case of impeding or assault on a federal officer?” the border patrol agent wrote. “No serious injury sustained by an agent almost always = no prosecution. That has been a running joke for many years (along with the ridiculous threshold amounts of dope to trigger a prosecution).”

Breitbart News has previously reported on the rising number of incidents along the U.S.-Mexico border in which illegal immigrants are assaulting border patrol agents.